k Thy Miniſters who ſhali deſcry the approach and ccming of this heavenly King and Kingdom. | partly to give notice to all People of theic giad tidings : and partly by way of cxultation, to ſing forth the Praiſes of God for this glorious day and Mercy as it here follows, m They ſhall underſtand, and ſo be able to teach Di. vine Myſteries. n Very diſtinRly and clearly, and familiarly, their eyes beholding the Eyes of tis Ring ofGlory,as it is ſaid of Zedekiah Jer, 34+ 3+ 4hine Eyes (hall behold the Eyes of the Kirg of Babylon ;, and as 1t 15 laid, Meuth 85 Mouth, Numb, 124. 8, and Face to Face. Gen - 32. 30, Exod. 33. 11, Numb, 14, 14, They ſhall fee with their bo« dily Eycs the King of the Church, or the word made Fleſh as they are ſaid to haye done, Joh. 1. 14. & 1 Joh. 1. 1. They ſha!l be Eye and Ear-witnefſes of the Words and Works of Chriſt, and therefore their Teſtimony of theſe things ſhall be imore certain and valuable, o When God ſhall compleat the work of bringing his Church out of Captivity, which was begun at the return out of Batylon, and perfe&ed by Chriſts coming into the World;
9: Break forth into joy, * ling together, ye waſte *Ch;49.12 places of Jeruſalem p : for the LORD Rath conkers O 15-12 his people, he hath redeemed Jerufalem. L
p For you ſhall be reſtored unto your former, fertility
10 The LORD hath made bare his holy arm 9 in the eyes of all the nations, and * all the ends of the
earth (bali ſce the ſalvation of our God 7.
q Hath diſcovered and put forth his great power, which for a long time hath lain hid, and ſeemed to be idle, r All Nations: of the World ſhall with aftoniſhment behold the wonderful work of ood, firſt in bringing his People out of Babylon, and afterwards in their Recenmption by Chriſt,
It * Depart ye, depart ye,go ye out from thence s $ch.48.26 touch no unclean rhing 3,g0 ye out of the midſt of her, »5:552?
be ye clean, that bear the veſſels of the LORD «. Kev.18.4,
s Make haſte, O ye baniſhed jews, to depart out of Babylon into your own Land, that there 1 may mect with you, und bleſs you, and perform thoſe further and greater things which 1 have promiſed there to dofor you, And this Invitation was the more neceſſ:ry becauſe God foreſaw that: a great number of the Jews would upon worldly conſiderations continue in thoſe foreign Countries in which they were ſetled, and be very backward to return to the Holy Land s And when you | Ape
you go thence, take heed that you carry not along with you any of their Superſtitions or Idolatries, but purific and prepare your ſelves, that ſo God may return to yeu in mercy, when you re- turn 1nto your own Land, & And eſpecially you Prieſts and Les« vitcs, whoſe Office it is to miniſter in holy things, and to carry back the holy Veſlels of the Temple,keep your ſelves from all pollution,
' I2 For ye ſhall not go out with haſte,nor go by | tight x : for the LORD will go before you ; and the - God of Ifreel willf be your rereward y- T Heb. ga+
x But lecurely, and in triumph, being condaRted by your great ther joup, Capiain the Lord of Hoſts, And therefore you will have both the greater Odligation,and the more leiſure and opportunity to cleanſe your (elves trom atl filthineſs. y So that none ſhall be able either to oppole and ſtop you in your march, or to fall upon you in the rear as enemies commonly do,
_ 12 Behold a,my ſervant b ſhall |]|deal prudently c,he ||r prope!
al be exalted,and extolled, and be veryhigh g.
a This is the beginning of a new Prophecy, which is continued from hence tothe end of thenext Chapter , and therefore it. is well obſerved by divers, both ancient and modern Tnterpreters, that the Fifty and Third Chapter ſhould have begun here. b $y. Of whom doth the Prophet here ſpeak ? It is apparent that theſe three Jaſt veries of this Chapter, and all the following Chapter ſpeak of one and the ſame perſon, And that that Perſon is Chriſt is ſo evident, that the Chaldee Paraphraſt, and other anticnt, and ſome later Hes brew Doors, underſtand it dice@ly of him, and that diverſe Jews havebcen convinced and converted to the Chriſtian Faith by the e- vidence of this Prophecy. And there is nota verſe in this whole con« text which doth not afford a clearand convincing proof of this truth aswe ſhal: ſee. And there needsno otherArgument to confirm it,than thevaricty&vanity of the pretended Expoſitions of thejews,who uſe all poſſible Wit and Art to wreſt all theſe paſſages toother perſons. Thoſe who would ſeem wiſer than the reft, and confute- the other Expoſitt- ons of their Brethren, underſtand it either of the Jewiſh Pcople in genera), or of the Prophet Jeremiah in particular, But both theſe con- ceits are ſo groundleſs and abſurd,that there is ſcarce a verſe but cot futes them,as we ſhall clearly diſcernin the Expoſition oſ them. And therefore other Jews reje@ them both, and underſtand it of Abraham or Moſes, or Joſiah, or Ezra, or Zorobabel.; and they might as weil have named twenty perſons more, to whom this place might be applied u- pon as good grounds as to ary oftheſe. But there is not one clauſe inall this context which is not moſt truly and fitly applied to Chriſt,
25 I ſhall make apparent, ſtep by ſtep. And firſt this Title of God's Servant is in an eminent and peculiar manner given to Chriſt in this very Prophecy, as Iſa, 424 I. & 49. 6. & 53, 11.& Exeke 34-23. Zech. 3+8. c Shall manage his Kingdom with admirable Witdom, Or, ſhall proſzer, as it is in the margent, and as this word 1s frequently rendred,and particularly in thisfvery caſe,and of this ſee perſon, Jer 23-5. Which alſo ſeems beſt toagree with thefollowingClauie,and with Ch.53.10,11.And this intimation concerning the future proſperity and the firſt place to prevent thoſe ſcandals which otherwiſe might ariſe from the ſucceeding paſ- ſages which largely deſcribe his ſtate of Humiliation and deep afflition
4 Here are three words ſignifying the ſame thing to expreſs the _ Ba Heighb
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